in most of the other pueblos.

A small collection of rude stone hammers was obtained from the turquois
mine in the Cerrillo Mountains, about 25 miles from Santa Fe.

The products of this celebrated mine, which were objects of traffic
all over New Mexico, as well as contiguous countries, probably formed
one inducement which led to the Spanish conquest of this region. The
turquoises from this mine have always been valued as ornaments by the
Indians of New Mexico, and carried far and wide for sale by them.
The mine was worked in a most primitive manner with these rude stone
hammers, a number of which were secured. The collections are all now
in the National Museum for study and inspection.

The following sketch is introduced here to show the method of using the
batten stick represented in Fig. 546. There is not a family among the
Pueblos or Navajos that does not possess the necessary implements for
weaving blankets, belts and garters. Figs. 500-502 will convey an idea
of the variety in design and coloring which prevails in this class of
Indian fabrics, while Fig. 710 represents a blanket weaver at work. The
picture is taken from a photograph made on the spot by Mr. Hillers, and
is colored in accordance with the actual colors of the yarns and threads
used in its manufacture.

The particular class of blankets represented in this illustration is
woven in the estufas, and is used almost exclusively in sacred dances
and ceremonies of the tribe, all other garments being made in the houses
or in the open air. The Navajos are celebrated for their skill as
blanket weavers, and the Mokis are equally skilled in the manufacture
of a finer class of the same article, which is much sought after by the
surrounding tribes for ornamental purposes in sacred and other dances.

The vertical threads, as shown in the figure, are the warp threads; the
coarser thread which is inserted transversely between these is the yarn
or weft. The three rods in the center of the blanket are lease rods,
which are introduced among the threads of the warp to separate them and
thus facilitate the insertion of the weft thread. These rods are each
passed in front of one warp thread and behind another, alternately,
across the whole warp, and between each rod the threads are brought from
the back of one to the front of the next, and _vice versa_. The bar held
in hands of the weaver serves as a batten for driving or beating the
weft thread into the angle formed by